Malcolm X Day

I recently read an article by Toure in Time magazine discussing should Malcolm X have a national holiday and it made me realize just how powerful and iconic Malcolm was in the sense of what the American Dream really is. Malcolm came from poverty as well as hardships such losing his father to death while being young than being snatched from his mom and being put in foster care where he was thought he couldn't be a lawyer. Thus encountering all of that which led to a life of crime before hitting prison where he was reformed and started to become a dynamic civil rights leader in the north. So Toure asked what ideals would we celebrate on Malcolm X Day, May 19, his birthday? Many. Malcolm’s not a static intellectual figure — his mind journeyed throughout his life, he held firm to his principles but was also strong enough to re-evaluate his beliefs and change when he deemed change is right. He was far from a flip-flopper who moved because it was politically expedient — and thankfully not an intellectual mule who refused to change when he uncovered new information and perspectives. Malcolm was intelligent and bold enough to be open-minded. His courage to be a truth seeker is part of what we’d celebrate — his willingness to reconsider his principles, to be protean, to challenge himself and be willing to grow and thus embody the transformative potential of American life. We would celebrate not just his willingness to journey but also his journey itself, which concludes with militancy being defeated by humanism and with racial hatred being defeated by globalism and multiracial acceptance. While we celebrate Dr. King and praise him year end and year out it was a time when King was considered a threat to our society. So as Toure says, "Surely some will not be able to wrap their heads around supporting a Malcolm X federal holiday because they will get stuck on the image of Malcolm as violent. This misunderstands several things. King was, at a time, considered dangerous and was hated too and, more importantly, Malcolm merely proposed that oppressed people had a right to armed self-defense — an inherently American principle. King, who preached steadfast non-violence, represents America as it wishes it were, while Malcolm symbolizes America as it is. Malcolm never equated self-defense with violence for its own sake and he never fomented violence. He was wiretapped and followed inside and outside the United States by the FBI, the CIA and the NYPD for years and years — if he had incited violence, even in a private conversation at home, he would surely have landed in legal trouble. Indeed, the FBI noted its difficultly in neutralizing him because he did not conspire to break laws and lived by a stringent moral code. A New York police officer surveilling him went to his bosses and told them they should be helping Malcolm — such is the righteousness of his positions to someone who truly listened." Malcolm was a man unreservedly committed to the cause of liberating black people by any means necessary and his fierce but loving advocacy helps move the country forward as much as King’s Gandhi-ist movement. We cannot separate Malcolm from his era in that he conveyed the righteous anger of the black masses during his time but linked it to an articulation and a brilliance that was inspiring as well as a geopolitical, economic, spiritual and religious strategy. Malcolm was angry because we were, but instead of sparking riots he incited deep self-pride and linked the civil rights struggle to human rights. His militant advocacy was as stunning as it was necessary, to force the issue and imbue millions with the confidence and spirit and strength needed to overcome. He knew power gives up nothing without a demand and inspired millions to not accept victim status and imbued them with the agency to force America to become as democratic as it claimed to be. Malcolm is the true father of Black Power (and its son hip-hop), which deeply inspires all identity freedom movements that follow it. so without a doubt Malcolm X was just as important to America and the civil rights movement as well as black nationalism and humanism world wide than King, Ghandi, and Mother Theresa. It is clear that if America is to celebrate Malcolm X than more about his legacy and impact needs to be talked about to show the positive side of the things not always discussed. Malcolm's impact still lives on today and as, "Think of Malcolm not as an intellectual thug but as a Mandelaesque figure who advocated righteous and political-minded self-defense when that was necessary and later grew into peaceful humanists." Read more: http://ideas.time.com/2012/01/20/we-need-a-malcolm-x-day/

HAPPY NEW YEAR: Be Independent

Today marks the beginning of 2012 and this is yet another Presidential election year. However I want to take this time and ask everyone to be independent. Don't allow yourself to be trapped in the political vortex known as the lesser of two evils between the two headed monster known as the Democratic and Republican Parties. It is time for a revolt in America from the two party political system that has left us as a nation crippled and left for dead not just the past decade but for several decades now. For all those who like to point to the glorious 90s, they fail to mention that our nation's national debt was even growing even with a balanced budget and a national surplus for a year or two. Still many political pundits fail to take into account that a surplus for a year or two does not wipe away a growing debt that has been in the making for decades and with each passing decade as Republicans and Democrats jockey for control of Congress and the White House, we the American people are left to wonder how have we arrived at this point in our nation's history. It's not as simple as blaming one political party or President when both parties contributed while several Presidents have added to this point of a crippling economy and poverty at an all time high. For years we the people have been caught in the ponzi scheme of politics as campaign finance laws have been shattered, our financial and banking system continues to get rich off the backs of the less fortunate and healthcare has yet to arrive to all Americans yet but the cost of it increases daily for those that do have it. All the while Congress continues to get an automatic yearly increase in its salary while it's suppose to be a pay freeze on all federal employees. Then don't mention the fact that those who defend our rights and freedoms abroad and at home, our troops, benefits and pay are being cut every chance Congress and the White House gets but they support the troops. You should laugh at any politician in Washington, D.C. that says that but voted to cut military benefits. So once again I tell you don't be fooled in 2012 by the two headed political monster known as Democrats and Republicans. Be independent in 2012 and break away from the political party system. Start doing your research and take back your country from the Democratic and Republican political parties that have been bought by the bankers, financiers and other rich as well as power brokers while forgetting about the poor, needy and less fortunate in the process. Now is the time to be independent and not fall for the trap once again during this election year. BE INDEPENDENT!